About Circuit Riders
Technical Assistance to the Water Industry

The concept of the circuit rider was born out of a need to provide technical assistance and training on all things related to water and wastewater systems following the development of water systems throughout rural America.  The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) pioneered the concept in the early 1970’s when it became obvious that it was easy to build water systems but not as easy to keep them functional without an intensive effort of operator training and technical assistance.  NRWA now has several hundred Circuit Riders across the U.S. in every state.  All are licensed water or wastewater operators in their respective state with years of technical and managerial experience. 

International Rural Water Association (IRWA) has put the Circuit Rider concept to use in rural communities in Central America and the Caribbean.  Beginning in Honduras in 1988, IRWA began training a core of Circuit Riders that has expanded to El Salvador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.  Experienced U.S. based circuit riders and water industry professionals have been working with and training these individuals to build the human capital necessary to assist rural communities in developing nations.  The in-country Circuit Riders are full time on the ground professionals who travel to community after community providing technical assistance just like NRWA provides in the U.S. 

The International Circuit Rider works with communities to:

• build social sustainability via obtaining community commitment
• build technical sustainability via the selection of technology appropriate to the community’s abilities
• build governance through assistance with water board creation
• build financial sustainability through proper rate structures
• build understanding about waterborne illness and disinfection
• build understanding of water treatment technologies and techniques
• build understanding of regulatory requirements, health standards for water, and monitoring/analytical techniques
• build understanding of hygiene
• build knowledge of construction techniques for water collection, storage and distribution systems

Above all the Circuit Rider teaches and mentors the community members and the operators of their water/wastewater systems.

The circuit rider transfers knowledge to the rural community.  Their role is to teach not to do. 

They will work hand-in-hand but the goal is to assist and further the level of knowledge and professionalism by the local water and wastewater system operators. 

The developing nations are no different than the U.S. in terms of a demonstrated need for the type of support the Circuit Rider offers.  Rural systems in the U.S. like their counterparts in developing nations often do not have the financial capacity to hire a staff large enough to accommodate all of the needs of a water/wastewater system.  The circuit rider program effectively augments the knowledge, talent and capabilities of the system staff with professionals who concentrate on a broad array of technical and managerial issues.